mite control

[desmondmegan]

i have a question about mite control. i have a tbh and when i was doing an inspection i saw at least three mites. now just by looking into a hive how many is ok and when is the best time to do mite control.

[Kathyp]

the best time to do mite control.

part of the answer depends on what you are going to do for mite control.  whatever you are going to do, you don't want to it during the time you have honey supers on.  the exception might be using the powdered sugar as a way to knock back the number of mites.  in that case, you could remove the honey supers for a short period of time while the bees are covered with the PS.

i use apiguard after the honey supers are off.  some use it in the spring, but my temps are not warm enough.  during the summer, i use the powdered sugar which does not kill the mites, but causes the bees to groom the off and thus reduces the mite count.  it is only effective if you are using screened bottom boards.

[desmondmegan]

thank you i have not decided what kind of control i want to do right now i am still doing the research on control for mites.. it is only the first year. for both of us..

[Kathyp]

you'll get lots of info here and elsewhere.  everything from doing nothing, to aggressive treatment.  don't hesitate to ask questions.  sometimes you won't like all the answers you get, but at least you'll get lots of info!  :-)

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesvarroatreatments.htm

[Gware]

I think I am going to use apiguard since it is a natural product. Any comments or suggestions? This is my first year.

[Michael Bush]

All hives have some Varroa mites.  The question isn't if you have Varroa mites, but how many Varroa mites. If you don't quantify the problem you won't know if you need to take any steps or not.  A sugar roll is an easy measurment.  You use a pint jar with a #8 harware cloth "lid", and scoop up about a cupful of bees off of a brood frame (don't get the queen if you can help it) and add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and roll them around until they are coated well with sugar.  Dump the sugar through the screen onto white paper and count the mites.  If you have less than ten, forget about it.  If you have more than ten, consider what you'd like to do.  Powdered sugar is a good option for removal of the Varroa as well.

[Scadsobees]

I used apiguard last fall after several years of bumbling through "home-made" remedies. :roll:

At first it scared me because it stimulated the bees to hack out a whole bunch of capped brood.  However, after a few days that stopped.

All I know is that I made it through a pretty tough winter with the same number of hives that I went into the winter with.  That is enough to convince me to try it again this fall.

[danno]

This is my first year with 5 rapidly growing 3 lb packages now going on 6 weeks old.  These were installed on wired wax foundation in deeps with a 2nd story added at four weeks with black plastic.  They are working slowly on the plastic but making progress.  I have been feeding 1to1 syrup in hive top feeders continually.  I am not antisipating any surplus honey this year.  My question is should I treat for mites as soon as possible or wait.  I am considering apiguard or formic acid. Its still  alittle cool for apiguard but about right for mite-away.  I have not done a shake yet but will do a count before proceeding

[Scadsobees]

Dan,
First year hives, and even into the second year aren't affected as much by the mites. 

I think that package producers not only need to have a low mite count, they also treat the bees before shipping them out (even with AFB treatments).  Also, a new package (or swarm) reproduces very fast, as well as not having drones while they are building up, so not the most ideal mite environment.

I'd recommend keeping an eye on them (counts) and plan on doing something in late August if the counts are high enough.

-r

[eivindm]

Here in Norway Apistan, CheckMite and other medical treatments are not allowed.  Acid treatment and removal of drone comb are the normal methods used here, and has been for 16-18 years (since varroa came to Norway) .  I have a TBH myself, and I use a fork and remove as much drone comb as possible.  In the autumn I will use acid.

[DBoire]

All hives have some Varroa mites.  The question isn't if you have Varroa mites, but how many Varroa mites. If you don't quantify the problem you won't know if you need to take any steps or not.  A sugar roll is an easy measurment.  You use a pint jar with a #8 harware cloth "lid", and scoop up about a cupful of bees off of a brood frame (don't get the queen if you can help it) and add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and roll them around until they are coated well with sugar.  Dump the sugar through the screen onto white paper and count the mites.  If you have less than ten, forget about it.  If you have more than ten, consider what you'd like to do.  Powdered sugar is a good option for removal of the Varroa as well.

MB - found this on a search for sugar roll testing,.. thanks, a similar test with ether as describer at Cornell gave a number of 3 mites requiring treatment.  Did you arrive at your number from your data and did it involve small cell?   Should I be concerned with mites at a lower count if I'm using large cell?


Thanks for all.
db

[Michael Bush]

http://entomology.unl.edu/beekpg/tidings/btid2000/btdjan00.htm#Article2

I'm pretty sure a recent lecture from Dr. Marion Ellis he said that he would treat at 8.  I don't like to treat so I would push that to 10.

[SgtMaj]

Whether or not to treat should also depend on time of year and whether you're going to harvest any honey, pollen, royal jelly or anything like that.  If you are, then I would only treat in dire circumstances, but if not, then you're free to treat them more often.

Reguardless though, the lower the numbers, the less likely I would be to use chemical treatments, and the more likely I would be to use physical removal methods such as the sugar shake to control their numbers.